1968: Shaping the District

Date:

Saturday, January 6, 2018

Time:

11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Free, drop in. All ages encouraged.

Connect with a variety of organizations to explore D.C. as it was in 1968: a predominantly
African American city in a complex time of grassroots organizing,
groundbreaking initiatives, creative expression, racism, protests, and
activism. Hear historian Dr. Marya McQuirter and others talk about the
people, places, and stories of the time. Listen to music evocative of the year,
performed by musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra. Engage in
conversations and share your own stories. Gain a broader picture of 1968 beyond
the uprisings after Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination. This collaborative
event launches a year of programming and exhibitions throughout the city
marking the 50th anniversary of this historic year.

The
National Building Museum presents this event in partnership with others in The
1968–2018
Collaborative, a group of individuals, institutions, and organizations planning
events to commemorate the 50th anniversary
of the entire year of 1968in Washington, DC. Chaired by Marya
Annette McQuirter, the 1968-2018 Collaborative is an extension of the work
initiated by Bernard Demczuk, historian of Ben's Chili Bowl.

Activities include:

Discover Marion Barry’s impact on D.C.’s built environment with George Derek Musgrove, co-author of Chocolate City: A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation's Capital

Listen to live music evocative of 1968 performed by National Symphony Orchestra musicians

Learn how to preserve your family heirlooms in a personal archiving workshop with DC Public Library as well as enjoy story time with the librarians

Review community organizing posters and maps

Visualize 1968 in photos with Marya Annette McQuirter, curator of the @dc1968 project

Take a historic walking tour of Jewish downtown Washington

Use words and music to inspire action and break cycles of violence with One Common Unity’s youth Fly By Light Performance Troupe.

Ongoing Activities

City
of StoriesLet images and words from 1968 inspire you to
share your own thoughts, feelings, and ideas about Washington DC – then or now.
Learn how to make a house-shaped book with artist Sushmita Mazumdar and
share your creation in an ongoing display, creating a “city” of collective
stories.Mapping StoriesMap the events of 1968 through photographs and first-hand accounts with the Washington Architectural Foundation and the DC Public Library’s Special Collections.

Organizing HistoryGet an up close look at community organizing posters, maps, and similar items from the year with the Historical Society of Washington D.C. and National Building Museum curator Sarah Leavitt.

DC Public Library TakeoutCheck out a book, sign up for a library card,
and learn about the library’s digital resources.

Talks and FilmsAuditorium

12–12:30 pmVisualizing 1968 – Marya Annette McQuirterMarya
Annette McQuirter,
curator of the dc1968 project, shares some of the
365 photographs of Washington, DC in 1968 that she's curating from
Washingtonians, the DC Public Library Special Collections, and other libraries
and archives. Through color and black & white photographs of activism, art,
architecture and everyday life, visualize what made 1968 such an extraordinary
year.

1:30–2:00 pm To Better Serve our Citizens: The National Park Service's Summer in the Parks – Noel López Find out how the National Park Service reinvented engagement with D.C. communities in and how the eight year Summer in the Parks program lives on in current programs like the Fort Dupont and Fort Reno summer concert series and Fiesta DC. National Park Service Cultural Anthropologist Noel López shows a short film and shares the program’s history and legacy.

2:15–2:45 pmBarry the Builder – George Derek MusgroveDiscover
Marion Barry's impact on D.C.'s built environment during his long political
career. George Derek Musgrove, co-author of Chocolate City: A History
of Race and Democracy in the Nation's Capital, explores Barry's near
constant preoccupation with building that set the stage for D.C.'s explosive
growth in the new millennium. Musgrove signs copies of his book outside the
Museum Shop at 3 pm.

3:15–4 pmThrough Chinatown’s Eyes: April
1968 – Ted GongLearn about how uprisings
following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr impacted D.C.’s
Chinatown community. Ted Gong, Director of the 1882 Foundation, leads a conversation following
a screening of the film.

Book SigningCenter court, near Museum Shop

3 pmGeorge
Derek Musgrove
signs copies of his book, Chocolate City: A History of Race and Democracy in
the Nation's Capital, which is available for sale in the Museum Shop.

Tours

11:30 am–12:15 pm12:30–1:15 pm1:30–2:15 pmNational Building MuseumMeet at the sign near the Information DeskTake an informative, fascinating docent-led tour of the Museum’s
historic home and discover what was happening in the building in 1968, a year
after architect and urban planner Chloethiel Woodard Smith proposed the
building be converted to a museum of the building arts. Come face-to-face with
the colossal capitals of the Corinthian columns as you tour the
Museum’s fourth floor—not accessible to the general public.

12:30–2 pmWalking Tour of Jewish Downtown WashingtonMeet at 1968: Shaping the District Welcome Table. Limited to 25 people. Sign up at Welcome Table beginning at 11 am. In case of inclement weather, tour will be presented
indoors as a talk in Classroom 231, 2nd floor.For nearly a century, Jews lived, worked, and worshipped in the neighborhood around 7th Street, NW. This one-mile walking tour includes the 1876 historic Adas Israel synagogue -- a building which has moved twice in its 140 year history and is scheduled to move again next year -- and the sites of three former synagogues. Led by Samantha Abramson of the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington, this tour will answer questions such as:Why are there three former synagogues in Chinatown? What was the impact of events of 1968 on the Jewish community?

Performances and Workshops

11 am–12 pmHistory through MusicAs part of the National
Symphony Orchestra (NSO) initiative NSO in Your Neighborhood,
Musicians Joel Fuller and Mahoko Eguchi, violin; Daniel Foster,
viola; and Rachel Young, cello, will perform music selected for its
historical and emotional relationship to that historic year. Between pieces,
NSO violist William Foster will speak about his experiences living in
Washington, D.C., and performing with NSO in the late 1960s.Haydn String Quartet Op. 76 No. 5Barber Adagio for StringsPiazzolla's Oblivion and LibertangoBlackbird and Other Selections – The Beatles12–12:30
pm1–1:30 pm2–2:30 pmStory Time with DC Public LibraryAge 5 and youngerExplore 1968 through books. Packed full of
reading, songs, and activities, story times are designed to promote language
and literacy skills—a great way to develop your child’s lifelong love
of reading and learning. Children and caregivers are encouraged to
actively engage and participate during the program.

12:45–1:15 pmRIOT or WRITE IT? How Artists Break Cycles of
Violence Through Words that Inspire Action
Explore how music, especially hip-hop, R&B, & pop, inspires people to action on world issues from 1968 - sliding into 2018. Join Princess Best and youth from the Fly By Light Performance Troupe of One Common Unity as
they share original performance & visual works. Facilitated by the troupe,
participants will create a community written work to address the most prevalent
issues faced today through inspiring words of non-violence and activism.

2–3 pmPersonal Archiving Workshop Classroom 231, 2nd floorAre you interested in preserving family treasures? DC Public Library archivists lead a workshop on preserving physical and digital personal archives, including photos, letters, newspapers and other materials. Limited to 25 people. Sign up on site at Welcome Table.

This event does not require an RSVP. Registered users can request event reminders.